The present invention relates in general to module builders, and more particularly to an apparatus for compacting modules on a transfer table.
In the patent to Wilkes et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,003, issued on July 31, 1973, for Seed Cotton Handling Apparatus, there is disclosed a cotton module builder which formed large modules of cotton in the cotton fields. The patent to Orlando et al., No. 3,941,047, issued on Mar. 2, 1976, for Cotton Module Builder discloses a mobile cotton module builder with an open-bottom rectangular bin in which seed cotton was deposited. A compacting mechanism was mounted on the open top of the bin to compress the cotton into a module. A door was mounted on a horizontal axis above the bin through which the cotton module was removed from the bin. Hydraulic jacks raised the bin prior to removal of a module and lowered the bin prior to the compacting of the cotton into a module.
The patent to Hubert et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,060, issued on Aug. 14, 1973, for Process In Double Platen Densifying Press discloses a single press and a transfer table on which material is pressed. The material is loaded on each end of the transfer table, then moved alternately into and out of the press rotation.
In the patent to Bromley, U.S. Pat. No. 369,582, issued on Sept. 6, 1887, for Baling Press there is disclosed a baling press for bale hay and for prizing tobacco. There is a common press and a transfer table on which material is pressed. There are boxes at each end of the transfer table in which material to be pressed is deposited. The transfer table is moved for alternately loading and unloading pressed material at each end of the transfer table.
Other patents of interest are
Boomer--U.S. Pat. No. 179,091 PA1 Johanson et al.--U.S. Pat. No. 3,002,479.
The module builders disclosed in the above cited patent to Wilkes et al. and the above cited patent to Orlando et al. were employed on the cotton turn-row. After the module was formed, the module builder was moved to another location for forming the next module. Thus, the module builder during field operations was moved to various locations in the field. During the periods of time the module builder was moved to the next location, it was not forming a module.
In order to increase the receiving capacity of seed cotton, a cotton module builder was located at the cotton gin. Trailers with seed cotton were brought to the module builder. Thereupon, the cotton was removed from the trailer and deposited into the bin of the module builder by suction pipes or by a dumping process. The module builder compacted the cotton into a module on a pallet. The pallets were placed on the floor or the base of the bin in succession on a roller conveyor. The builder formed a module on that pallet in succession and the pallets with the modules thereon were removed from the bin in succession. With this arrangement, the cotton gin incurred additional costs for the pallets and additional labor expenses for the handling of the pallets.
In another arrangement, the cotton module builder was located at the cotton gin in the gin yard storage area. Seed cotton was removed from a trailer and deposited into the cotton module builder through a transfer system mounted on a truck. The cotton module builder compacted the seed cotton into a cotton module. After the cotton module was formed, the module was removed for transfer into the cotton gin and the cotton module builder was moved to another location in the gin yard to form another cotton module. Thus, the cotton module builder was not building a module during periods of movement to the next location. The seed cotton transfer truck was also moved to the next location. The seed cotton grower was in doubt as to the location for his trailer carrying the seed cotton from the field.